Hidden deep within the confines of Caldera is the Lost
Room, a place where one can find what or who has been lost. It is a time of change for Caldera and it is
here in this taboo chamber where two of its most important members look back on
what has come before in order to glimpse into the future. Is Caldera’s mission to protect Human History
one without end or is there no way to escape an inevitable doom?
Despite how much I enjoy the core entries of the
Fate/Stay Night Franchise aka the three main “Rotues” (Fate, Unlimited Blade
Works & Heaven’s Feel), I’ve never been able to crack Fate/Grand
Order.
While on the surface it looks
like the ultimate mash up of every single Fate property and character into one
pot, it’s a lot more complicated than that.
Fate/Grand Order might just be one of the complex and head scratching
Fate tales under the sun and it feels daunting to try and tackle.
It isn’t helped that when an Anime adaptation
does pop up from time to time, it tends to land possible newcomers in random
areas of the narrative.
Thankfully that
wasn’t the case with the Fate/Grand Order OVA I looked at in 2022, Fate/Grand
Order: First Order, which adapted Fate GO’s Prologue.
However, Fate/Grand Order: Moonlight/Lostroom
doesn’t share the same clarity as it plops viewers right into the middle of a
random break between chapters of the game with very little explanation as to
what’s gone on in the grand scheme of things and how we got here…well, not
completely anyway.
Moonlight/Lostroom is a very different beast than First
Order.
Unlike it’s action heavy
predecessor, this OVA is more character focused, specifically on two
protagonists: Main character Fujimaru and his Boss, Olga.
Here we look at two very different viewpoints
from two very different players in the grander tale of Fate/Grand Order.
For Olga, she’s been saddled with a huge
responsibility in the wake of her Fathers death, aka running the organization
charged with protecting all of Time and with it, Humanity’s future.
She constantly talks a big game and envisions
herself superior to most.
However,
beyond her bravado and cute looks (seriously cute character design), Olga knows
she’s in way over her head and its taking a serious toll on her.
When she explains (surprisingly well and
clear for a Fate tale), how Caldera works, it’s monumental and seemingly a job
where the only happy retirement she’ll see is her inevitable end.
It’s pretty bleak and I like when Olga’s
seriously focused on this more than trying to be Fate’s answer to Evangelion’s
Asuka.
As for Fujimaru, he’s a civilian who’s basically been
drafted into this epic war.
Unlike Olga,
he’s not afraid to admit he’s not cut out for such a task.
When he is forced to see images of Servants
getting ripped apart from an oncoming unstoppable force, it’s kind of
chilling.
If Heroic Spirits are getting
trounced so easily, what hope does Fujimaru have?
The answer is, hope is something he’s still
willing to work with no matter the darkness.
Whereas Olga seems resigned to her own fate as unavoidable, Fujimaru is
more the optimist that his fate can be changed and that he can do some good
despite the overwhelming odds.
It helps
that he still has the super cute Fate GO mascot er his partner Mash, still at
his side and that has to make anyones day a better one.
While all of this reflection is solid, we’re still smack
dab in the middle of Fate GO with a ton of talking, not enough action, and no
sign when or if anything discussed is going to be followed up in Anime form
(and no I haven’t watched Fate/Grand Order: Absolute Demonic Front-Babylonia
beyond my initial First Impression Friday feature).
If this isn’t directly following up the
Prologue from First Order or have plans for a direct follow up, why choose this
incredibly random meeting to focus on?
It’s not helped that, throughout all the reflection, the Lost Room is
playing tons of visual tricks to keep the viewers guessing as to what is real
and what is illusion and just how much time has passed since Fujimaru and Olga
have entered.
But rarely is Fate so
clear cut and it’s both a good point of discussion and an infuriating part of
being in its fandom.
It would help if
there was more than a combined 90(ish) seconds of action in this 33 minute OVA
Special.
Certainly would make having to
endure the conversation between Olga and Lev a bit better…also I cant take Lev
seriously when his character design reminds me of a taller and older Mr. Tumnus
from The Chronicles of Narina, that just bothered me.
Honestly, I can’t understand why Fate/Grand Order:
Moonlight/Lostroom exists but I cant bring myself to fully dislike it
either.
The character exploration of
Olga and Fujimaru is surprisingly solid and I did gain a much clearer picture
of how Caldera functions in its mission to protect the timeline.
But it’s still a slough to get through, as is
usually the case when Fate loves to exposit for the heck of it.
It’s like watching a Metal Gear length
cutscene and wondering when I’ll finally be able to start playing the game
again.
While First Order had plenty of
action that could entice newcomers to maybe take a peak at the grander Grand
Order, the lack of any of Fate signature spectacle action scenes will
definitely be a turn off.
That said, if
you’re looking to try and get into Fate GO, try First Order or even the
Absolute Demonic Front-Babylonia TV Anime and see if they strike you.
As for Moonlight/Lostroom, it’s an ok
interlude with flaws but, like I said, when it does character motivational
writing well, it’s hard to totally dislike it.
Ergo, I award Fate/Grand Order: Moonlight/Lostroom a…
5/10
No comments:
Post a Comment